As is well known, required electric connections between the input terminals (or electrodes) of electric machines and appliances such as small-sized electric motors and associated electric power supplies or controls were made by soldering or crimping wires to the input terminals (or electrodes) of electric machines and appliances and to the conductors extending from the electric power supplies or controls.
Such wire-soldered or wire-crimped connections, however, required laborious works, and still disadvantageously, connection to and disconnection from exterior conductors could not be performed with ease.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,028 proposed a connector housing integrally connected to an electric motor. The connector housing has an electric connector fitted therein with the inner terminals designed to be connected to the input terminals of the electric motor and the outer terminals designed to be detachably connected to the exterior lead wires extending from an associated power supply or control for making required electric connections between the electric motor and the associated power supply or control.
In this prior art insertion of exterior conductors into the connector housing causes the terminal contacts in the connector housing to be resiliently deformed, thereby causing the resilient counter force in the terminal contacts to push themselves against the external conductors, thus making the required electric connection to the exterior conductors. If disconnection of the exterior conductors from the terminal contacts in the connector housing is desired, the exterior conductor must be pulled out from the connector housing against the contact force which is applied to the exterior conductors by the terminal contacts.
The conventional electric connector, however, has the following disadvantages:
First, both at the time of connecting to and disconnecting exterior conductors from the terminal contacts in the connector housing for external conductors must be pushed forward for insertion or must be pulled backward for disconnection against the contact force which is applied to the exterior conductors by the terminal contacts. Therefore, there is a fear for damaging exterior conductors by the rubbing between the exterior conductors and the terminal contacts.
Second, the terminal contacts in the connector housing must be designed to apply to exterior conductors a contact force strong enough to assure good contact between the terminal contacts and the exterior conductors, still facilitating insertion of the exterior conductors, in the connector housing, and at the same time facilitating withdrawal of the exterior conductors from the connector housing. It is, however, difficult that terminal contacts are designed so as to have a contact force of appropriate strength for the purpose.